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Now that I have finished my personal training certification, I feel as though I can do a full review of the course – and also address the commonly-held belief that personal training certifications are one of the lowest forms of education.

I studied through Fitness Industry Education (FIE), a UK-based institution. I completed all of my study online over a period of five months. I was assessed externally for the level two (fitness instructor) module while I was still in Australia, while I completed my level three (personal trainer) assessments over two consecutive weekends once I arrived in London.

The course was £1500, which is about $2300 in Australian dollars. Outside of America, that’s about the cheapest you’ll find. The exact same course in Australia is $6000 and would have taken twice as long as mine, but on a full-time basis. I was working full-time and only studying about eight hours per week. If I had completed the entire course at once – and not suffered any delays with my assessments – I would have had the whole thing finished in no more than six weeks.

My overall opinion is that the course content and set-up was not as bad as I was expecting, but there certainly is a lot of room for improvement. I did not learn anything I didn’t already know, so I essentially paid £1500 for a piece of paper.

The main problem with the course is that it is 80 per cent theory-based. The only practical experience I had was during my assessments this month, and the useless videos they provide about how to use stability balls and resistance bands. Even if I had studied here in the UK, my hands-on experience would have been exactly the same.

It’s great that they want you to learn every single muscle in the body, and how the cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive systems work. But how useful is that information when I haven’t learnt a single thing about helping someone with an injury, helping someone to achieve a goal or even coaching someone in general!

It didn’t dawn on me until I had to do a two-hour practical interview yesterday that I have taught myself everything I know. When I had to come up with training programs on the spot, I was solely using my own experience to formulate ideas.

Thankfully, I do a lot of background reading and I have been educating myself for years about weight training. I taught dance for three years so have gained a decent amount of experience coaching others. And training my husband helps a lot! I did really well in the interview, so I’m obviously doing something right.

FIE messed me around a lot when I was waiting for my exam papers to arrive, and a lot of the important course information regarding assessments was not made clear or available (and I wasn’t the only person who struggled with this!). Whenever I called the staff were mostly unhelpful, and didn’t do anything to keep me.

But I was most unimpressed when I finally had the chance to meet someone from the institute during my first in-person practical assessment. The assessor arrived 45 minutes late, with no apology (but this seems to be the English way – super unreliable!) to supervise the theory exams. I overheard one other student saying it was his SIXTH attempt at the theory paper (you have to score above 70% to pass). Seriously, if someone fails five times, should you really give them another chance?!

When we moved on to the practical portion (where I killed everyone with my push-ups!), the assessors provided information which went directly against what was in our course material. When they were questioned about it, they simply said that everyone in the fitness industry will tell you something completely different. Sure, but certainly not when they work for the same institution? Eek.

We had time to practice and then we were supposed to be assessed. However, following the practice the assessors immediately passed everyone and we were let out three hours early. Apparently just showing up gives you a passing grade.

When we were leaving, there was another Australian there who asked me what I thought of the course. He said he liked it because of the fact that it is an internationally-recognised certification but, like me, he was not impressed with how easily they seem to be giving away certifications. He said he was thinking of transferring to a different institution, but I told him I could almost guarantee it wouldn’t be any better.

So what needs to change?The theory exams need to be a lot harder. All the papers are multiple choice, and most of the answers are totally obvious. If people are failing this, they should NOT be given a second chance – unless there are some extra special circumstances involved.

My final practical assessment included me training someone for two minutes on the treadmill, and then we demonstrated four different resistance exercises. Just because I can deliver a simple 20 minute workout does not mean I am fully capable to do this as a living. I’m confident that I personally am, but what about the other people out there who just had to memorise a simple workout routine?

As much as it seems silly for me to say, I think they should remove the option to study online. To be a personal trainer you need to have significant actual experience training a real live client. It’s scary to think who is out there, newly-qualified and ready to injure some poor person.

If you are a personal trainer, what did you think of your course?
If not, have you ever considered becoming a trainer? What reservations do you have about the qualification?

Note: Since I published this review, I have been contacted by FIE and understand that several moves have been taken to improve the service on offer. This includes staff replacement, customer service training and addressing other elements I believed were lacking such as the practical elements of training.

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48 Responses

I’m anxious to hear what others think about their certifications. This post is great timing for me, as I am beginning to consider becoming a PT myself.

Tara / 3-22-2012 / ·

Great, Amber. I hope this helped somewhat!

Andy / 11-17-2013 / ·

I done the same mistake choosing “fitness industry education” (worst fitness provider ever!!! After completing my level 2 gym instructor and having the same problems with very BAD and unprofessional assessors, I decided to go for a better school and went for YMCAfit (the best UK provider) all tutors and assessors are great and you really learn useful information – done my personal training and exercise referral courses with no issues. I also went for a course with “discovery learning” they are great too – done my level 4 lower back pain course with them – no issues too.
I guess you need to pay a bit more to get quality, def. Worth it.

Steve / 6-16-2014 / ·

Just shows how opinions can differ here. Did my level 2 with Discovery and thought they were absolutely awful. Now studying online for my level 3 with FIE.

James / 8-29-2014 / ·

I agree with Andy, I had a horible experience with my fitness course with FIE. For instance – the reviews that fitness industry education had on TrustPilot were so BAD that FIE decided to delete their account with this independent reviewer. If you think that you need to rate a Company from 1 to 5 – FIE got rated 1.5 stars average. That’s definitely one of the worst Companies out there. Avoid at all costs.

rob / 3-21-2012 / ·

I certainly am in no rush to waste 800 pounds to learn nothing practical. I already do that with Tennis Australia coaching courses. Hey the course was cheap and now ur a PT. At least its outta the way and u can focus on finding a gym to sweat like a pig in………

Tara / 3-22-2012 / ·

True. I really just needed the piece of paper. Becoming successful is all up to me 🙂

melissa cunningham / 3-21-2012 / ·

wow…..
i don have much time to comment,but i will let you know that here in the states,on line personal training certificates are popular….and it is a joke. i took one when i was 19just to see if i could. it was 120 multiple choice questions….have to pass with 80%.
no practical exam, nothing hands on,all multiple choice….all that is required is a high school education and proof of being CPR/first aid certified…..

now,there are online degrees you can get which are similar to what you went through..the practical exam is pretty much what you did,the written is a little more challenging,but if you have a good memory,you can pass with a breeze.
even though most of the personal training certificates are pretty easy to come by,there are a few organizations that are serious and do expect more from personal trainers.
ACE (american college of education) and ACSM (american college of sports medicine) are the most recognized organizations and more expensive programs to go through,and they require continuing education credits….
CSCS (certified strength and conditioning coach)programs exists as well,and if going through ASCM,provide a good base for being a personal trainer.

in my experience as a personal trainer,i relied on my degree (exercise physiology),my experience as an athlete,athletic trainer and exercise physiologist (working in orthopedic rehab, primarily with injured athletes) to guide me–
as opposed to the 2 day course i took to claim my certification after college graduation.
i went through AAA/ISMA,and it was pretty much one day taking written exam,the next day taking a practical exam. it was supposed to be 8 hours each day,but we were done in less than 3 each day. more time was spent discussing what was going to be on the test and who was wearing what clothes in the gym…

i understand exactly where you are coming from!and i can honestly say that my experience in the real world,hands on experience working as the non paid intern at the local gym,lots of my own research,my own experiences,and of course the experiences listed previously,all helped me become a better trainer-the actual training i did to to become certified? well,all it did was certify me to train others. did nothing to help me be a GOOD trainer.
and it did take me time to become a GOOD trainer…

just because i had a piece of paper in my hands did not make me the best trainer in the world.the fitness industry is constantly evolving and it requires work to stay on top of current trends and research!

i do wish things were more prestige here in the states in regards to becoming a trainer. i do believe more needs to be applied in the process!
but as with any other profession,it does take time and life experience to get better.

and i totally agree with you in this post-
now that you are certified,what are plans?

Tara / 3-22-2012 / ·

Great comment – thanks Melissa! I did look into it, but unfortunately there is nothing that is equivalent to a CSCS program here in the UK. The only benefit I guess is that all the courses here require you to continually educate yourself. You have to earn 24 REPS points within every two year period to maintain your qualification.

I wanted to get something as quickly as possible. I would have sought out a proper degree, had I not completed a degree (that I’m still in debt for) just two years ago! Maybe in time it will be something I look into doing.

I’ve started looking for work and I’ve had two interviews so far. I’ve been at a few clubs and found one I really like, so we’ll see what happens 🙂

Sable@SquatLikeALady / 3-22-2012 / ·

Seriously, there are SO many cheap and easy to attain certs in the US…. it is a JOKE. But not funny, because it causes people to get hurt – badly. I have seen some truly scary things – deadlifting with an arched back, heavily-loaded front squats with the weight shifting to the toes, HORRIBLY uneven bench presses (where you KNOW one RC is getting worked way way way more than the other) – all supervised by CPTs. That’s why I tell everyone in the US to go to a PT who also has a BS in Exercise Physiology / Physiology / Anatomy.

Tara / 3-22-2012 / ·

Yikes! While my experience with UK trainers is still quite limited, back in Australia I saw similar things to what you mentioned. Now, I may be biased, but I think Australia has some of the best certifications out there. The fact that they make you commit to almost a year of study surely helps weed out who is not serious about becoming a PT. It’s not like you can become certified in a single weekend.

I don’t have a BS but I hope that I’m not a complete muppet 😉

sdorsay (itrainthereforeieat) / 3-22-2012 / ·

I really appreciate reading such an honest account from someone who has been through one of these programs!! It’s a shame that they generally tend to just “give certifications away”, and that in reality, it is extremely easy to become certified. What is not easy, however, is becoming good at what you do! I think that you have taken the right route in that you do a lot of your own reading and information gathering, and have used your own practical experience to make yourself better. And the program you went through seems better than a lot of the ones I’ve heard about here in the US. I feel that it is a field that requires constant work to keep up with the latest research, and unfortunately a lot of people don’t do that. I personally plan to do my CSCS through the NSCA (national strength and conditioning association), of which you have to have an undergraduate degree in a related field, and they also have a C-PT (certified personal trainer) credential as well… Honestly though I think it’s less about where you got your certification from, and more about how hard you work at learning and continuing to grow as a professional!

Tara / 3-22-2012 / ·

Thank you! I definitely agree – anyone can get that piece of paper, but only those who put in the hard work themselves will become successful.

I think the certification I did is better than what is on offer in the US (from what I’ve heard, anyway!), but it’s far from perfect! Like I said in a previous comment, the UK PT registry requires you to maintain your study, by attending a certain number of courses every two years. I think that’s good, as it forces you to stay on top of the latest developments in the industry. I knew going into it that my certificate might not be the most respected thing in the world, but my passion and self-education would surely be recognised!

Dawn Robinson (@dawnro1101) / 3-22-2012 / ·

I took an online personal training course and I will say the same thing that was said to me.

You can take any certification or course and be a terrible or a great trainer. It really has to do with how much education and research you do. It’s a never ending learning process when you become a personal trainer and I feel like you need to pick up information from many different places. Do I regret my choice of certification? No. Do I personally feel prepared to train…no. I did learn a lot of information but I am still a work in process and still learning more every day.

Sent from my iPhone

Tara / 3-22-2012 / ·

That’s exactly how I feel, Dawn. I think becoming a great PT is your own responsibility. There is no institute out there I trust to help me with that. I think it’s all about seeking out your own research, and pursuing your own education. I hope one day there are more institutions out there that create better, well-respected courses.

Dannie / 3-22-2012 / ·

That’s really interesting – I heard bad things about this particular training provider from someone else before and I guess you get what you pay for. I totally agree there has to be a much, much greater focus on practical stuff! And also a stricter assessment process… This is probably the reason why some trainers really aren’t very good at what they do…

I chose Lifetime for my own course and I’d say it’s about 50% theory (anatomy etc), 50% practical. Which is good, although a bit annoying as I need to take lots of time off work to do all my practical weeks! This course was more than twice the price of what you paid though. I’m also getting an additional qualification to work with GP referrals (nice steady income – I hope!).

Anyway, you got your PT qualification in the bag now and that’s the main thing! Congrats and thanks for sharing your experience 🙂

Tara / 3-22-2012 / ·

I had no guide in choosing a provider – I just had to go by what was on offer to me, which I could complete online. It sounds like you’ve chosen a great institute! I wish I had known about them earlier as they sound great. For me, price wasn’t the main factor in my decision – it was being able to complete it in Australia before I arrived here.

Meg / 3-22-2012 / ·

Wow so interesting.

I definitely agree that you shouldn’t get a second chance. I mean there are so many people attempting to be personal trainers just for “something to do” that there are so many bad personal trainers out there!

Good for you for knowing everything already 🙂 That shows how passionate you are about it <3

Sure wish you were my trainer

Tara / 3-23-2012 / ·

Thank you, Meg! They definitely need to make the entry process stricter.

Sara @ Nourish and Flourish / 3-23-2012 / ·

I completely agree with you that certifications should not be available via online instruction! This is one of the major qualms I have with the programs offered in the United States; nearly every one is self-instructed, with little to no “hands on” experience! Scary. I’ve actually decided to wait until this summer to begin my studying, as I’ll have more time to spend learning the material. I’m also going to be working at the YMCA (not sure if you’re familiar, but it’s a very well known fitness/wellbeing/community organization in the US), so I’ll have access to trainers whose brains I can wrack. :)I’ll also be able to gain experience by shadowing the trainers before I actually begin training.

I think you should send your cert organization this review! They need to hear every word you said! xoxo

Tara / 3-23-2012 / ·

You sound like you’ve developed a very smart plan! I would definitely recommend getting as much hands-on experience as possible. I would have loved the opportunity to shadow trainers in real life, rather than having to seek out all my knowledge myself.

I may just submit this to the organisation! Thank you x

Megan @ Weddings and Workouts / 3-27-2012 / ·

Great post, as per usual! Thanks for your honesty.

I’ve kind of had the idea of becoming a trainer floating around in the back of my head. The qualification thing does concern me, because I look at some of the trainers at my gym, and think, really?? I think I told you about the one who I had to explain the difference between BMI and body fat!

80% theory based is ridiculous. And I cannot believe you were all passed simply for showing up!

It’s really scary, actually. So many people put so much faith into their trainers, and don’t question anything they say.

Thank goodness there are people like you around!!!!

Tara / 3-28-2012 / ·

Thank you 🙂 Ultimately, unless you’re prepared to get an exercise science degree, having a personal trainer certification doesn’t really mean a lot. It’s up to you to differentiate yourself from the pack, and people should be more vigilant about researching their trainer’s backgrounds and true knowledge.

Mike / 10-3-2012 / ·

Hi, i was just looking on the FIE site and checking the courses. Its terrible after i red ur review. Thank you for sharing, im wondering u are now probably about 6 months into the industry (if u got the job) 🙂 what would u recommend now or which course would you choose, did u fin any useful after this nightmare ? Im wondering as i got all my info backed by my own research and i do different workouts and activities for more than 5 years and it seems like all the qualifications are shit but really expensive and u use ur own knowledge anyway, so is there any organisation which is somehow respected ? which would give me a better view to get a job straight from the beginning of interview ? i know its all bout me anyway but looking at someone with FIE already gives me negative prejudice 😀 ….. thanks

Tara / 10-4-2012 / ·

Thanks for your comment! I’m actually working as a PT at a private training studio, which I’m also the operations manager of. I receive lots of CVs on a daily basis, so I’m starting to figure out which institutions are the best. Premier Training is probably the best institute in the UK. I would recommend studying through the NASM if you want the best certification. One of the trainers left his book here and I read through all 900 pages of it. It’s far more comprehensive and useful than what I learnt through FIE.

At the end of the day, the certification really doesn’t matter too much. You’re not going to be guaranteed a job with any certification. Most gyms look favourable on exercise science degrees, but don’t distinguish between the certifications. It’s more about your passion! I definitely wouldn’t go through FIE again though.

Rob M / 1-17-2013 / ·

I have been studying through FIE and found a lot of problems with the company. The lack of organisation in assessments has been laughable. People have turned up after travelling for hours to get there,only to find they have not been registered onto the assessment! Their lack of customer service has been a disgrace. I have emailed them with basic queries on a number occasions with no response. I have called them a number of times and had to deal with condescending, rude staff who are very unhelpful. The only reason I am doing this course is for the piece of paper that says i can train members of the public. I already have a degree in Sport Science, but apparently this is irrelevant. The degree is classed as a level 5 qualification and the PT diploma is level 3. Ridiculous. I would never recommend or use this company for any further training.

Tara / 1-18-2013 / ·

I’m sorry to hear you also had a negative experience. They definitely need to work on their customer service and assessment organisation. I have no idea how I managed to get through to them outside of the country! Thankfully I have my piece of paper now and don’t have to deal with them again. Sorry to hear that your degree doesn’t count for much, and I hope you get your qualification soon!

Rob M / 1-17-2013 / ·

…actually, the degree is level 6 on the national qualification framework. My mistake.

Angie W / 6-25-2013 / ·

I did a pt course with FIE late last year and they were great. They were so good that two of my friends did a pt course with them this year and they both loved it as well. Their customer service was fantastic – if I ever had a question (and I had quite a few during the anatomy and physiology section!) they took their time making sure I really understood. We’re now all out there in our dream careers helping people achieve their health and fitness goals…and I’m happy to say earning a healthy income too. I did my training with them because two personal trainers I used to use trained with them. One trained with them about five years ago and the other one almost 10 years ago (which shows they’re not some flash in the pan company). Both of them raved about FIE.

A few things you have said don’t go down well with me. I firmly believe people should be given multiple opportunities in life, as many as they need in fact. I don’t know about you, but I fell off my bike hundreds of times when I was learning (and I still have a small scar to show for it). Thankfully my parents didn’t decide that two attempts was enough, and thankfully my driving instructor some 15 years later thought the same. People did fail the FIE course I attended, despite them turning up. Those of us that knew the content passed, those that didn’t did not. It’s unfair for you to muse (and publicly) that people passed regardless of their skills and abilities.

I too wondered about the multiple choice question papers. It turns out that if you are an accredited training company (and FIE is because I checked this with them before I signed up), a central organisation issues these exam papers to every accredited training company! This makes sense because the assessment ha to be standardised. So no matter which company you go with, as long as they are accredited you will do the same multiple choice papers. I had to wait for one of my assessment results as well, and it was this central organisation (called an awarding body) that was at fault. I called them and they admitted they were behind with getting the assessment paper results back to the training companies (all of them) because they have to mark every single exam paper from every single training company!

And I for one am thankful I was able to study a lot of my PT course online. It was comprehensive, the video demonstrations were just as helpful as a real life demonstration and I really enjoyed the interactive animations. And I’m thankful that a company like FIE was able to afford me the opportunity to study this way (because who can get 6 weeks off work?) and at such an affordable price.

Tara / 6-28-2013 / ·

I don’t think I need to say much other than it is clear you work for FIE. Why else would you have been searching for reviews of the certification? I stand by my original comments, even more so now that I have been hiring trainers for over a year and many report the same incompetency.

tyler / 7-11-2013 / ·

lool I was just thinking that they worker doe fie, I got off the phone to a saleman eailer he wanted 2grand for a lvl 2 gym and a personal trainers course, and I thought was a bit cheap. im not going to use fie now ive seen to maney bad comments, thankyou!

Sophia / 6-21-2014 / ·

Ok…so I literally just emailed the rep to call me back as I had a few questions before I enroll…after reading this I don’t think i’ll be taking that call. I was planning to enroll on the 5 week intensive PT Diploma. I was told I would be placed in The Gym, 9-5 Mon-Fri. It sounded brilliant to me as it meant gaining practical experience in an actual gym environment…but then I have to question how it would be possible to cover all materials and assessments in just 5 weeks whilst being at the gym 9-5, if that is in fact the case. That’s a lot to learn in such a short period of time. I would like to actually absorb the information, not just memorise it for the exam. Ugh, back to the drawing board!

James / 8-29-2014 / ·

Spot on, FITNESS INDUSTRY EDUCATION is not professional, in my experience: the assessors were rude, arrogant and unintelligent. If anyone here wants advise: go to a better Company. 🙂
Best places to study for a personal training course in UK are: YMCA, Premier International and Discovery Learning.

PS. Been rude, late, unhelpful and unprofessional – this is NOT the British way. It’s just how bad Fitness Industry Education is.

Tara / 8-29-2014 / ·

Sorry to hear you had a negative experience as well!

Chris Adams / 9-14-2014 / ·

I am currently studying with FIE.

Agree with all your review. I haven’t learnt anything new from the course but that would have been same with any other of the training providers.

I agree any one who fails the exams shouldn’t be given another chance as getting 70% when it’s multiple choice should be easy. I haven’t done the assessment day so can’t comment on that part yet.

Chris Adams / 9-17-2014 / ·

A lot of their information is just plain wrong. How to do deadlifts is one example but there are many things that I will just ignore.

Lina / 9-15-2014 / ·

Oh dear, looks like it’s not worth starting my course with FIE. Shame, it did look good. However, which providers would be worth looking at? I’m new in the industry, so not sure where to start. My first option was Ymca, however their course started today so I missed that. Any info would be muchly appreciated!

Paul / 10-7-2014 / ·

I have found there customer service awful. All they seem to care about is the money you pay them. Avoid this company!

daleroy / 10-23-2014 / ·

I have just been let down by Premier. I was due to start their part time PT Diploma course on Saturday but they have now pulled the course. I have been looking at FIE but I have to say this thread has almost put me off! It’s difficult to find a course in Scotland to go for. Also considering PTQ as an online provider, but I would prefer some good practical lessons, which FIE seemed to provide! Not easy!

Bryn Ray (@BrynRayFitness) / 10-27-2014 / ·

I done qualifications with a number of training providers and FIE are hands down the company i’ve had the best experience with … so much so i’m now helping contribute to their endeavours to provide the best fitness education possible.

As for this article it’s hard to know where to start …

You slate the course content yet the learning objectives are set by a moderating authority that provide a syllabus. Training providers simply try and help students meet all the assessments criteria points outlined by the governing body. I would also respect their authority in telling you what you do and don’t need to know to pass what is simply a foundation in training the general population safely and effectively, after all I think they probably know a little bit more about personal training than yourself.

With regard to taking an exam multiple times – do you have a limit on the number of times you can take you school exams? Nope. You don’t even have a limit on the number of times you can take a driving test which is clearly dangerous but you don’t see people moaning about that. This is also blanket across all training providers so to point it out as a flaw of one is just slander. Either way, if someone takes 7 times to pass the chances are they won’t be a good personal trainer so doesn’t matter it they’re qualified.

The assessments generally are adaptive to the individual. If someone is clearly capable and comfortable with their client then the assessment will be kept as slick as possible. All the assessment criterias, as with the written exams, are moderated by a governing body so like with any other form of qualification it’s about meeting those points. Every client is an individual and there are countless training methodologies so at level 2 they asses your ability to use equipment and demonstrate safe practice, then level 3 they asses basic programming and your ability to adapt to a client. Trainers make business out of client success so unless you want to do a few case studies on top of your qualification (and pay for the additional assessing) sticking with proving you’re SAFE to practice would seem like the logical option. Trainers start really learning in the real world and will only be successful if they keep on learning, the qualification just states you’ve been educated in base principles and exercising safely.

As for the company themselves I personally found the staff really helpful, the tutors knowledgable and the learning platform a simple and effective way to learn (other companies clearly think the same as they’ve licensed the learning platform for themselves). The course developers are some of the best educated and most successful fitness professionals i’ve ever met, there certainly hasn’t been any corners cut with employing the best people for the job.

Did you get qualified? Did you have to pay a fortune? Do you have relevant cross comparisons? Did you do your research on what was and wasn’t in the hand of the provider? If not, why go out and publicly write negative reviews that will affect the reputation of a kind company, ran by a team of great guys who’re highly passionate about fitness and helping people get started in their fitness careers. There are so many companies out there run by money grabbing business men who’ve never seen the inside of a gym and charge twice as much for the same course and worse service. At FIE you get a well priced course from true fitness professionals who are passionate about their trade.

patricia / 6-8-2015 / ·

hello, i’ve been wanting to do a PT course for years now and i haven’t started just cos i can’t decide in which one to do so as i have to do it part time (tho i hate it is my only option as i can’t allow me to take 7 weeks off from work or quite my job London is expensive) and I want to thank to all the reviews, it kinda give me an idea on where to go and get a good service for it and a good PT training. So should i go for YMCA then? what you think? any responses will be gladly appreciate it.
Thanks everyone and thanks for your post was very useful.

Does anyone have experience of training for level 2 and 3 with BE A BETTER YOU?

Brett / 10-26-2015 / ·

I did my training with Be A Better You! It was a great experience. At the end of the course they helped me with my CV and then sent it out to the gyms I wanted. I did the 24+ Loan option. Hope that helps.

Joe / 10-1-2015 / ·

Good article.

I did my Level 2 with AMAC. It was blended learning, so I basically studied for the theory tests online and then had a week face-to-face in preparation for the practical. I thought they were very good.

I’m now doing my Level 3 with FIE, studying online. I agree that this option would be completely unsuitable for inexperienced individuals, but for me it’s great. I’ve been training for 16 years and I work in a gym so if I need to practise anything, I can do so at work without having to take time off. So far FIE have been fine, although some of their course materials have evidently not been thoroughly proof-read, and they still do not make the practical assessment procedure very clear at the start of the course.

Ultimately, I think you have to choose your course based on your own specific needs. If you are relatively inexperienced on the practical side then a face-to-face course will always be better. Also, if you’re not actually that interested in fitness and you’re just doing the course because you got it cheap, then you should think a bit harder about what you actually want to do with your life, rather than wasting everyone’s time.

Lee Harrington / 7-18-2016 / ·

Really good, honest article, as i have worked for course providers in the UK for years and alot of the views expressed are ones that i share. Companies use quite often the same criteria as they share the same governing bodies, so every provider has to do 80% theory courses. In addition students have the misconception that they see a personal trainer and believe that the course will be virtually all practical orientated, when actually most practical implementation is learnt through fitness CPD courses and not he core level 2 gym and level 3 pt course itself.

A company i use to work for Origym (UK based) were really good as they did more practical focus and made students learn on the gym floor more, which i think is not just easier for the students to learn visually but also makes the course feel more real. Plus the business side of the course was not separated into a conventional business CPD course but was available as part of the units, which again helps students prepare for the reality of trying to earn money as its all well and good having great knowledge but if you have no one to share it with, whats the point.

Tara / 7-20-2016 / ·

Thanks for sharing some of the background info. I knew that there would be a lot of theory involved in my course, but I just wasn’t prepared for how little practical demonstrations were given. I will check out Origym – it sounds like a good company.

Sean Dullaghan / 7-26-2016 / ·

This is quite an interesting review. You can find much more in depth courses but they costs a hell of a lot more money, and at the end of the day you’re still going to have to go out and gain your own experience to truly understand the stuff you have learned.
I have been a PT for 12 years and seen the industry and education system evolve over that time. I have also mentored several newbies through their education and on to running their own successful businesses and in my opinion the best thing education companies could do is to engage experienced trainers to act as mentors once their recruits have finished their formal education.
Good luck with your career, it sure beats working for a living